A report issued by the National Intellectual Property Administration has ranked Haimen, a city under the administration of Nantong, Jiangsu province second among the nine county-level cities across the country for its efforts to promote intellectual property.

In recent years, Haimen has made huge advances in developing pilot demonstrations for intellectual property strategic areas, as well as promoting the application of National Intellectual Property Pilot Parks.

In 2018, companies in Haimen applied for 106 international patents, representing 117.8 percent of the annual target.

The city also improved its subsidy regime and set up special projects, as well as improving access to financing.

Last year, 227 enterprises and individuals in the city applied for patent grants. Funds totaling 16.79 million yuan ($2.5 million) were issued and 83 enterprises in the city were issued with special loans worth 320 million yuan, increasing the level of financing available for R&D activities by small and medium-sized enterprises.